


A Simple Chat Between Childhood Friends

by NighttimeSabbatical



Category: Tales of Graces
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 10:58:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17160761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NighttimeSabbatical/pseuds/NighttimeSabbatical
Summary: Cheria is a woman on a mission. The objective? Get Hubert to open up. The results? Questionable.





	A Simple Chat Between Childhood Friends

**Author's Note:**

  * For [azureheavens](https://archiveofourown.org/users/azureheavens/gifts).



Cheria set the final pan on the cooling rack, then surveyed her work. "Perfect."  
  
The sweet fragrances of snickerdoodles and hot cocoa filled the otherwise empty kitchen. The inn's cook had allowed her to use it since the common room wasn't busy at the moment, for which Cheria was grateful—her plan never would have come to fruition, otherwise.   
  
Everyone but she and Hubert were out exploring Zahvert. For the past few hours he'd holed himself up in his room, writing some report to the Strahtan president, and in Cheria's humble opinion, he was in dire need of a break.   
  
Well, she couldn't say she didn't have any ulterior motives. She'd intended on doing something like this for a while, now—reaching out to him. They'd been pretty close as kids, but now, he held his distance from her like they were strangers.   
  
Where was the sweet, sensitive boy she'd once known? He was still there somewhere, she was sure—only stifled.   
  
The world had made Hubert hard. Sure, he was a very accomplished young man, but he kept his walls up. He and Cheria used to be able to talk about anything, but these days, unless Hubert deemed it strictly necessary they hardly talked at all.   
  
This would be the perfect opportunity to get him to open up: a nice chat over fresh cookies and heartwarming hot cocoa.   
  
So once she'd assembled everything upon a tray, she ascended the stairs to Hubert's room. As she reached his door she set it down, hesitated a moment, then knocked.   
  
"You may enter," Hubert called.   
  
Cheria opened the door before picking up the tray, and as she entered the room, Hubert immediately rose to take it from her. _There's the Hubert I know_ , she thought as she shut the door behind her. "You've been working all morning, so I thought you could maybe use a break."   
  
From the stack of papers on the table, it seemed his report was very long indeed. She could only marvel at the fact that in spite of all the writing he'd done, he didn't appear to have even a smidgin of ink on his hands.   
  
"Thank you, I think I will," he said awkwardly, and after eyeing the pair of mugs, belatedly added, "Sit down, if you like. I'll just tidy everything up."   
  
Cheria poured them both some hot cocoa, and as he sat back down, she offered him the plate. "Want a snickerdoodle?"   
  
He did so, then took a single bite. "It's ... good."   
  
"I just thought, snickerdoodles were always your favourite growing up, so ..."   
  
"I've not had snickerdoodles since I left Lhant." He stared off to the side. "Strahta doesn't have them."   
  
"Then the last time you would've had snickerdoodles was ... the time we made them together, right? That was only a few weeks before—" She paused. "Before you left."   
  
If he was affected by her unintentional allusion to the fact that his parents had essentially abandoned him, he made no sign of it. "Yes," he said. "We were playing house, I believe."   
  
"Right!" She laughed. "I was the mom, teaching you how to bake."   
  
He blushed. "I wish I'd had Asbel's foresight and got out of it."   
  
"What? But I thought you loved playing house—you loved being the baby!"   
  
"I did not." He scowled, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "I only did it to placate you."   
  
"Well." Time to try another tactic, then. "You can't say you hated playing stuffed animals with me—that, I know you loved."   
  
The hint of a smile. "I'll give you that."   
  
That had been their thing: combining their formidable stuffed animal collections and making up stories about their adventures. Asbel always made fun of them for it, claiming that stuffed animals were for babies, but they still played ... just when he wasn't around.   
  
Cheria still had her stuffed animals, sitting in her room. A testament of happier times.   
  
She and Hubert continued to talk of their childhood, finally falling into easy conversation, until the plate of cookies was nearly empty and the pot was completely so. Cheria was starting to think she'd finally cracked his hard shell  when the door suddenly burst open and Pascal entered, with Sophie in tow.   
  
"Thought I heard you two. Oh, sweet, cookies! Can I have one?"   
  
"Sure," Cheria said, unable to completely keep the tightness from her voice—not that Pascal noticed, of course. Just a moment before, Hubert had been completely at ease, but now he held himself rigidly, walls back up. "You too, Sophie."   
  
"Hey, these are really good. What're they called, snookerdiddles?"   
  
"Snickerdoodles," Hubert corrected, and when Sophie giggled, said, "I'm sorry, is there something funny?"   
  
"Just the way you said it," Sophie said. "Snickerdoodles." She giggled again.   
  
"Yes, well." He abruptly stood. "I need to get back to my report, so I would appreciate it if you all left."   
  
As Cheria left, tray in hand, she resisted the urge to sigh. At least she'd made some progress, or thought she did, maybe. Well, Barona wasn't built in a day, and neither would her friendship with Hubert be.


End file.
